Guns, Firearms, Projectile Weapon Sports/Stevens Crackshot

QUESTION: I have a Stevens Crackshot rifle. .22 long rifle. It has the side lever. It has no model number and simply says patent appld for. Underneath it has the number x 141. The family story is that it was my great-grandmothers squirrel rifle. Any information you can give me on this would be appreciated. It is a treasured family object and we would just like more information on it

ANSWER: Hello Kirby.
What I can find on this rifle, does not point to a Crackshot. The forearm does resemble the Crackshot, but the Crackshot had a lever underneath the stock that opened the barrel. Your rifle does not. The action, including the trigger guard and stock, is definitely a Model "Little Scout 14 1/2" ( fourteen and one half ). The barrel would be either 18" or 20" and the overall length would be 34". I do not know if the barrels were interchangeable between the two, but if there is the word "CrackShot" stamped on the barrel, it could have been exchanged. The Model 14 1/2 was manufactured between 1909 and 1936. The words "Patent Appld For" could make your rifle an earlier model. This is a partial description of the 'Little Scout' from the 1929 Stevens catalogue. It reads; "The Stevens "Little Scout" is the ideal boy's rifle. The simplicity and durability of the action insures safe and positive operation."
I hope this helps establish it's use in your family so many years ago. If you plan to keep it going, have it checked by a competent licensed gunsmith. DO NOT SHOOT SUPER POWERED AMMUNITION IN IT!!!! Regular .22 LR ammunition should be fine.
Thank you for asking for my assistance. Charles Gage.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So I have found some follow up information that might help you sir, what can you tell me about the Stevens Crackshot model 16?

AnswerHello Kirby.
Due to the lighting in the background (and my poor eye-sight), the picture you sent was very hard to see anything but an outline. When you said 'side lever', I automatically thought of the 'rolling-block' type of thumb lever next to the hammer of the Little Scout. I was puzzled by the length of the forearm and the position of the rear sight. Now that I understand the 'thumb lever' you were talking about, it all makes sense. Anyway, all excuses aside, here is a bit of information I found on the Model 16. It is a Crack Shot and was manufactured from 1900 until 1913. It was the first Stevens .22 that had an automatic ejector. Before this, the empties had to be physically pulled from the chamber. The cartridges were filled with black powder in those days, and after some use could corrode the chamber to the point that a pocket knife or other sharp object had to be used to extract the empties. It may have been the first Stevens to have a 'case-hardened' frame, which gave it a beautiful color. The stock and forearm were of oiled walnut. The butt plate was hard rubber, not the typical metal most other rifles had in that era. Neither the front or rear sight were adjustable. It does chamber the .22LR cartridge, and the caution I expressed in my previous answer ' is to live by '. In 1901 it sold for a whopping $4.00. ( " WOW! I'll have a baker's dozen, please." )
I am glad you gave me a second chance to research this one. Thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage

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Thank you for your time on this Mr. Gage I appreciate your thoroughness.

Expertise

I can answer questions dealing with firearms and their development due to western expansion. I can answer most questions about any firearms of the world manufactured after the Civil War(1868 - present. I can offer safety warnings about these. I can offer opinions and the reasons behind these. I can also answer questions about Iver Johnson firearms. I can identify by pictures most firearms. If your question involves a firearm you have access to, please include a good quality photo with your question.

Experience

I have been at the study of firearms and their use since my first issue of Field and Stream in 1962.At that time I was completely devoted to rifles, but over the years I have experienced the thrill of the hunt with handguns, shotguns and of course rifles. I moved from Oklahoma to New Mexico in 1972 and, since, I have taken numerous game and non-game animals with all firearms (cannons excluded)including blackpowder muzzleloading rifles,shotguns and handguns. My favorite handgun for large non-game animals, such as feral hogs, is my Uberti replica of a 1847 Colt Walker. Very heavy, but accurate.

Education/CredentialsI am a 1973 high school graduate. Junior and senior year I developed a class on Wildlife Depredation and Conservation of our Rocky Mountain states. My specialty was the brown bear.